Think Alikes
by boosie1075
Summary: Another Joker romance. Just like so many other stories that have come before mine, the Joker meets an intriguing female in Arkham. This is my little take on that overly done plot, so, please read and enjoy (maybe even rate and review). Thanks! (Nota bene...the rating may increase later on)
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: I am having a difficult time coming up with a title for this story, so if you guys have any feedback/ideas it would be appreciated! Also, just a heads up the Joker is less sadistic/psychopathic in my story, since this is a romance. I have been wanting to write this for awhile because I generally dislike the OC's people come up with or I find the story just plain weird/sadistic/freaky. So, here is my attempt. Hope you enjoy! Please rate and review...I really love reviews.

**Arkham Asylum. Joker's POV**

I've been stuck here for quite sometime. Stuck is not quite the right word. I suppose I could get out whenever I pleased, but for some reason the timing wasn't right. I had this icky feeling in my gut everytime I got close to escaping, or thinking about escaping, so here I am, waiting.

This place...I hate it. It's smells old and of death. Not the fun kind of death either. It is the kind of stale, sterile, hospital death scent. Everything is a sickly white. Our garb, the walls, the bedsheets, even the furniture is some kind of rusted form of white. The only color that pops up here and there is the grey of metal and concrete, the hospital blue of tables and trays in the cafeteria, and the sickly, jaundiced yellow of the therapy session rooms. It could drive a person mad, haha. They need a bit more color. A bit more fun! They were so dull they made me take my war paint off!

The people here are even worse. They're all mad, crazy even. The doctors, patients, guards. But not me of course. No no, haha, not me. I'm as sane as they come. Unfortunately no one here was smart enough to recognize that.

Anyways, back to the task at had. I had been sitting in my cot staring at the white around me, plotting the various ways to murder Dr. Benson on my escape. He was a sick sick man and I am sure he does not have a degree. The things he does to the people in here is torturous; there are things that I wouldn't subject on people myself that he does in the name of therapy. Even I'm not that cruel, haha.

Just as I was getting to the part when I would finally slit his throat, the cell door across from mine opened. I peeked through my small window and saw my _favorite_ guard, Officer Mark Pines, escorting a lovely little woman to the cell. Escorting is too kind of a term. He was rough with her, and after practically manhandling her down the hall he shoved her into her cell. With the way he treated her, I couldn't see her face (she kept her head down anyways). All I saw were soft chocolate brown locks of hair that fell midway down her back. I was intrigued, to say the least.

From what I could tell she didn't get off the floor where Pines left her for quite some time, so I sat back down in my cot and tried to think of all the various scenarios that could have occurred for the lady to end up here. While my mind was running with ideas, none seemed to quite fit. With these thoughts, I finally drifted to into fitful sleep.

**Arkham Asylum. Analiese's point of view**

I had been roughly transferred to my cell by a burly guard, Pines I think. I felt so violated with the way he practically groped me down the hall. I was so upset that I just sat there on the floor. I was scared. Arkham had quite the reputation and I didn't want to look out my cell window to see who the loonies were who surrounded me.

I resolved to myself that I would lay low until I could get out of here, whenever that would be. Not that I was outspoken by any means. Oh no, I was as shy and quiet as they come. I had yet to meet my psychiatrist; Dr. Benson I believe was his name. I'm not entirely sure. Regardless, I had a a horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach that he would be just as crazy as that guard. Nevertheless, I tried my best to shrug these feelings off.

I was in this predicament and though I didn't deserve to be here, I would try to make the best of it. It just that, I hate being surrounded by idiots all the time. And to think, I am now surrounded by psycho idiots...

Once again I tried to shrug these feelings off and get to sleep. Needless to say I ended up staring at the whiteness around me until the lights went off. You know what? The blinding whiteness of the room becomes the blackest and darkest of rooms with the lights off. All the more reason to make a cocoon out of my one frayed blanket and stare into the abyss.


	2. Chapter 2

**Arkham Asylum. A week later. Joker's POV**

As standard protocol, the girl did not join the rest of us loonies for meals or group, uh..._therapy_ sessions for the first few weeks. My first weeks were a bit _boring_; they keep you locked in your cell 24 hours, except when you have private therapy sessions, or they make you shower. You even eat your meals in your cell. Like I said, so boring. Anyways, eventually they decided that the girl was ready to be inducted into our looney little society. Today was that lucky day, although I didn't know it until 10:58 today, when I waltzed into that nasty puke green colored room for the pointless therapy session. This therapy session was smaller than the other one they forced us to go to; this one was for the royalty amongst the deranged population, so there were a total of five of us. Although, none of them compared to me, _of course_. They were all idiots.

Anyways today I sat down in my chair and that's when I noticed her. She was sitting two chairs away from me, thus I had a perfect view of her face. And, she was gorgeous. Pale skin (though not sickly), long brown hair, fuller lips and big blue-green eyes with long dark lashes. Skinny, probably weighed 100 pounds or so, but not a stick. Short, maybe about 5'1 or 5'2. I thought to myself "What's a pretty thing like her doing in this looney bin?"

She kept her eyes trained to the ground, and refused to look up. She didn't even look up when Dr. Benson strutted in, looking rather like a pudgy peacock.

"Good morning gentlemen, and lady." He glowered at her. "As you have noticed, we have a new member in this session. Gentlemen, this is Analiese Vuković...vu-ko-vic, vis, vich? Anyways, Analiese, meet Oscar..." at this the scrawny, balding 40 something year old looked leeringly at her, "Grigori," and she was stared down aggressively by a huge, muscular, tattooed hulk, "Darrell," again with the rapist look by a 20 year old pyromaniac, "Antonio," the gruff looking Italian lustily eyed her, "and...the Joker."

She didn't even look up. She probably knew that 6 out of the 7 men in this room had the rapist look in their eyes. I tried my best to not have that look...I don't like rape. Strange, know, I'm the Joker, the incarnation of evil. But I have my limits in certain areas.

Dr. Benson cleared his throat, "Well Analiese, have anything to say?" He was sort of menacing towards her, but then again he was that way with everyone. Probably due to some complex or something. Haha funny, he's the doctor, but he has the complex. She kept her eyes trained to the ground and shook her head no. "Very well, I understand that you may be intimidated when in a room filled with criminals of this caliber, so I will overlook it for now."

He turned back to the group. "Let's get started shall we? Oscar, why don't you start for today." And so we got to listen to Oscar drag on and on about his um...exploitation of minors, shall we say. Needless to say, I was sickened by this, so I could only imagine what the girl, Analiese, is feeling like. Not that I care or anything. But I was intrigued.

Again this time I didn't share, it wasn't worth it being surrounded by these idiots. While the guards were herding us towards the cafeteria, I noticed that Analiese was escorted back to her cell for lunch. Probably Dr. Benson's orders. Hell, I wasn't allowed out of solitary for a good few months, except to go to therapy sessions.

**Arkham Asylum. Lunch and later that day. Joker's POV  
**

As usual I sat with myself. Everyone was afraid of me and I couldn't tolerate any of them. So it was a win-win situation in a way. That didn't stop me from overhearing conversations around me however. Those who were in the last group session talked endlessly about the girl. It was disgusting, so I will spare you the details. It's not even that she's the only woman here, there are plenty of others, it's that she is fresh meat. And beautiful to boot. Most of the other crazies are an eye sore, to say the least. I almost felt a twinge of pity? Empathy? Sympathy? Whatever it is, towards the girl when overhearing these comments. The disgusting thing is that even the guards were more than intrigued about our new guest, to say the least. Disgus-**ting**.

The lunch was the usual gruel that they slopped onto trays and passed it off as food. Everything had a greyish color to it. I'm surprised that I haven't died yet from the food alone. Soon enough, however, the guards hauled us up and escorted us back to our cells. Not that I was minding at all, maybe I could get a glimpse of Analiese through the cell window. And no, I am not a stalker. Actually, scratch that. I have stalked before, but for different purposes. Let's not call it stalking. Let's say, detective work. Regardless, I am not that kind of stalker. I am merely curious, that's all.

Once the guards were out of sight I carefully looked across the expanse of the hallway. This is where the gift of being tall comes in, so I could see only a bit into her cell. She was sitting in the only corner of the cell that I could see, reading. Unfortunately I couldn't make out what she was reading, but she seemed to be interested in it. It was a sizable book, and she seemed to be at peace. So, I thought I would let her be. No use in trying to communicate with her, only to get her mad at me for ruining whatever bit of peace she had. I know what that is like, and let me tell you, I am never happy when it happens.

The day went on as usual, with nothing interesting to report. So, I slept restlessly once again that night, and they cycle continued for another two weeks. She would never say anything, and still didn't eat meals with the collective bunch of crazies. Everyday I watched Pines treat her as roughly as he dared, and everyday I would watch as my fellow inmates lusted after her in the most gruesome ways. Everyday I would watch her peacefully read, and would never try to communicate with her. For some reason I didn't want to ruin anything. What if she was just as intolerable as the rest of them? I didn't want to necessarily figure that out, so I observed for now.


	3. Chapter 3

**Arkham Asylum. Two weeks later. Joker's POV**

When I was hauled off this morning to group therapy, little did I realize that today would be a very, uh..._interesting_ day. For the past two weeks everything had been the same routine, so I was completely caught off guard to say the least. Not that I minded this new routine, with the girl here somehow I felt a little calmer than normal. Which is weird, because I love upsetting order, upsetting routine. I actually enjoyed the times when I would sit and watch her read. Whether it's because she looked so peaceful, or whether it's because my mind was at rest when I watched her read I will never know. I can't explain why I enjoyed it so much, and there's no use in trying.

Anyways, we all sat down in the puke green room in our little circle and Dr. Benson cleared his throat. The girl kept her eyes to the ground, as usual.

"Today we are going to try a little exercise in having a civil conversation. I will ask you a question, and if you can answer adequately in a socially appropriate manner, you may ask me anything you like. I hope to get _everyone_ to talk today." With that he stared at the girl. I actually felt anger towards him as he said this. Up until this point he had left her alone, left her at peace. I hated when he bothered me, and I could tell that the girl was an introvert, so I can't imagine how uncomfortable this must be for her. But, I was curious to hear to speak, and even more curious as to what she would say.

"Let's go in a circle, starting with Grigori. Grigori..." the hulk snapped his head up to glare at Benson, "how do you feel about..." and from this point I stopped listening to this useless banter. Naturally, the hulking monster couldn't have a civil conversation and instead leaped out of his seat towards Benson, with murder in his eyes. Now, I'm not saying that I would mourn the passing of Benson. Oh no, I would _welcome _it. But he was subdued by the guards and the questions continued around the circle. Once again I zoned out.

"Analiese...your turn. Now, I'll start with an easy question, since you have yet to speak since you have arrived." I snapped my head up just in time for her to look up at Benson, with an unreadable expression on her face. "Now, I'm really rather curious...who do you think is the craziest person in this room?"

She looked at him with a tinge of surprise, then looked around the room, analyzing everyone. She looked at me, looked right into my eyes with her pretty blue orbs. It was like she was staring into my soul, reading all my secrets. Her gaze was..._intense_. But not menacing in any form, and more importantly, she wasn't afraid. I have never been so surprised. **Ne-ver****_._** While my description makes it sound as though we were staring at each other for awhile, in reality it lasted for a mere moment.

The girl then stared calmly, but with some malice, at Dr. Benson, and said merely one word, "You." It was quiet, non-threatening, timid. But powerful. She knew what she was saying. She wasn't stupid.

Dr. Benson snapped his pencil in his hand and the look he gave her...Well lets just say I have rarely seen such a threatening look. He didn't laugh, he didn't say anything, he just looked at her. After a few moments he composed himself.

"Well then I'd say you are very delusional, _my dear_." The words dripped from his mouth like venom. "But, to be fair, you may ask any question."

Again the look of surprise passed over her face, but it was now mixed with fear. Fear that I could almost smell. She was a timid one, that's for sure. She looked to the ground, and after a moment, said with the same quiet and feminine voice, "Why did you..." she trailed off and glanced to the broken pencil still on Benson's desk, "...snap?"

I was breathless. He was in a rage. Benson seethed with anger and frustration. Really though, she had done nothing wrong. It was an innocent enough question. She was just smart. She _knew_ the same things that I _know_. And we all knew that she wasn't really referring to the pencil. And I was afraid for her. She was brave, but she couldn't handle the consequences of being brave.

Finally, Benson spoke. "You..._girl_. You. Are. CRAZY!" He shouted at her, then composed himself. "Hahahaha. I did not snap, you stupid girl. I...I was merely caught by surprise. I guess I didn't realize how _delusional_ you really were." He was ruthless towards her and I felt a type of anger that I thought was dead inside me rage it's ugly head.

It was so strange, for lack of a better word. The frustrating thing about him was that no matter how hard I tried I could never get him close to his breaking point. And she did; she got him so close. He was slipping away, losing control of himself. I would have basked in it, and I almost burst out laughing. I was happy.

But I didn't because at that moment Benson stomped towards her and did the unimaginable. He slapped her. Hard. He lost his control.

"Normally, _my dear_, people do not insult those who are trying to help them." As he said this he leaned in close to her face and she backed away as much as she could.

That's when I decided that the Joker needed to make an appearance. "Ah ah ah...now then, _doc-tor_. That is no way to _treat_ a patient, is _i-t_?" I licked my lips.

He turned towards me, fear written all over his face. He didn't say anything, but straightened and stormed out of the room. I had won that little battle and thus turned towards the girl. For a brief instant her gaze met mine, and I detected what I thought was a small thank you from her. I merely nodded my head, a gesture to let her know that I understood her.

**Arkham Asylum. Dinner. Joker's** **POV **

That day they put us all in solitary for lunch, but surprisingly let us out for dinner. I scanned the cafeteria for a lone seat when I saw her. She was sitting in my usual corner of the cafeteria, except that she had half of Arkham surrounding her. As I got closer I heard various comments such as "What are ya doin' here, baby?" and "Hey there, sweet girl, why don't cha scoot a little closer" amongst other various profane comments. She was very clearly uncomfortable and I resolved to remedy that. That wasn't hard, seeing as they all cleared out once I got close. I sat down and she didn't look up.

"Hi..." I said, "so, uh, that was some thing you said earlier today. I _liked _it. Very brave of you." Her head snapped up and she looked at me with those big beautiful eyes.

**Arkham Asylum. Dinner. Analiese's POV **

I didn't know what to think. He was looking out for me, in a sense, but for God's sake he's the Joker. I have never been more confused in my life and I couldn't respond right away. My mouth went dry and all I could do was stare at him, dumbfounded. I finally managed to squeak out a small "Hello, and...thank you" and resumed picking at my food.

"Something bothering you? Hmm...is it the scars? They're not as pretty without makeup on, huh?" He chuckled and I looked at him again. They actually were not that bad, in my opinion.

Before I could filter myself I blurted out, "No not at all, its your teeth. They look like they hurt; you must never brush them..." And then my eyes went wide with what I said and suddenly I thought I was going to pee my pants.

"HAHAHAHA...you may be right." And he smiled at me, and his smile didn't seem malicious at all, so I supposed it to be a good sign. So, I smiled too. And took this as a chance to study his face. He was handsome, to be sure. Even with the scars. And younger than I thought he would be as well.

"So, uh, listen. Are you..." he trailed off, clearly thinking about something. Then the most remarkable thing happened. His whole voice changed! "Are you alright?" He asked rather quietly. I was speechless. It was like talking to a whole different person. His voice was deep and soothing, but I had to guard myself. It was probably a trick.

"Um, I think so. Thank you." I said again quietly. Damn my innate shyness!

**Arkham Asylum. Dinner. Joker's POV **

I had decided, for some foolish reason, to forgo the voice I use as the Joker and speak to her normally. It felt strange, vulnerable, to talk to someone with my real voice. No one had heard it in years, and I didn't want anyone else to know that I had some semblance of normality. But I knew that she wouldn't tell anyone. I could tell that, while she was not as afraid as everyone else would be (which was oddly refreshing; strange since I love it when they squirm in fear), she was awfully shy.

I studied the bruise on her face. "That must have hurt." I gestured to her bruise. "Some doctor he is, huh." And once again I won my second smile for the day. It was a small one, but it still felt like a victory on my part.

We fell into a comfortable silence. Much to my surprise she didn't ask me why I helped her, nor why I was being kind. Looking back I'm glad she didn't, because I wouldn't have had an answer. Occasionally we caught each others gaze, but we never held it for very long. I was out of my element in this comfortable silence scenario. Normally if its silent in my company people are crying or praying or begging, something like that. In general people act annoying. She was fairly comfortable, and I was comfortable, and it was honestly really nice being in company that didn't feel the need to play twenty questions.

Too soon dinner was over and we were herded back to our cells. Once the coast was clear I got up and peeked into her cell. She was once again reading peacefully, and I leaned on my usual spot on the wall to watch her. I hoped to God, if there is even one, that Dr. Benson wouldn't feel the need to backlash more against her.


	4. Chapter 4

**Arkham Asylum. A week later. Joker's POV**

Something wasn't right. I could feel it in the air that something bad was going to happen. I just couldn't place my finger on what. I kept my eyes and ears on alert, looking our for anything suspicious. However, most of the day passed with little to report.

Analiese was her normal, quiet self. She stopped talking at the therapy sessions, and after Dr. Benson threatened her a few times with added time if she didn't participate, he dropped the subject and instead looked down on her any chance he got. I would like to wipe the smirk off of his face, but I've been biding my time and trying to be satisfied with the fact that he's leaving her alone, for the most part. Although, I feared that this bad feeling that I was developing in my gut had to do with her.

We always ate dinner together, mostly in comfortable silence. She was a finicky eater, and hardly ate anything. I considered asking her about it, but then again I thought it would be best to wait. I was itching to know more about her, but I didn't want to pry and make her shut me out. I realized that my reputation proceeds me, and I wanted to gain her trust. Today, however, she finally spoke up a bit.

"Why do you watch me read everyday?" she asked inquisitively, and there was no hint of anger in her voice. I however, was very surprised.

"I didn't know that you could even see me...I apologize if I made you feel uncomfortable." I was shocked and didn't know what to say. Ridiculous, seeing as how I can read people like a book and play off them so well, yet with her I couldn't.

"I would feel more comfortable if you tell me why." She smiled and I knew she meant that in a lighthearted way. Did I mention that she still hasn't really smiled? Another resolution of mine is to really make her smile.

"Well uh, I guess it is mostly out of curiosity and well uh, you see, you look so relaxed and peaceful. It's hard to explain." I muttered. Damn it, I should be able to explain myself! I always have been able to before.

"Curious? About what I read?"

"Yeah, I guess that's part of it. What do you read anyways? You seem to really enjoy it."

"Well um...its weird and I don't know..." she trailed off and started crawling back into her shell.

"Hey, look who you're talking to. I wear clown makeup. You can't get much weirder than that." I chuckled, hoping that lightening the mood would get her to open up.

"Well, what I'm reading right now is Dostoevsky's _Demons_, but before that I read some of Nietzsche..." She looked down shyly into her lap and her cheeks turned a shade of crimson.

"Nietzsche is my favorite author! Don't be embarrassed. He's amazing! I think I have read everything he has written twice! Haha!" This girl...Analiese, she was amazing.

"Really? Wow! That's, well this is so weird...you and I share the same favorite author. Who would've thought? Although, admittedly I might like Dostoevsky overall a bit better." She smiled a bit brighter this time and giggled so lightly that it was nearly undetectable.

"Hey, it's not a shame to share good taste with someone. Haha. And I can't discount Dostoevsky. I like him too. _Demons _is very good. Have you read...?"

As we trailed off into a rather animated discussion of books, I failed to notice Pines creep up behind me until Analiese's face went a bit paler, she went quiet and immediately her eyes went down.

"What do you want, Whines?" I immediately slipped back into that voice I was so familiar with, turned to face him and stood up.

"It's Pines, clown boy." He pushed me back down into my seat. "I was just wondering how you got that pretty thing to talk. Hey baby, why don't you talk to me? I can make much more interesting conversation, or since you're not quite the talker, other things." He leered at her and I held back every urge I had not to hit him right then and there.

"Well girly, I'm talking to you. It's best you answer."

"Leave us alone, Swines. Can't you see that you're. _no-t_. welcome."

"For the last time, clown, it's PINES! And I wasn't talking to you, was I?" He was angry now and threw me down on the ground.

Suddenly he reached across the table and pulled Analiese up by her collar. "Hey girl, aren't you gonna ANSWER ME?" And before I could react he flung her across the room, where she landed against the wall.

"Listen girly, didn't they teach you some manners? That you should answer someone when they talk to you, you little bitch?" He stalked towards her, and I leapt up. I hadn't felt this kind of anger in a long time.

I ran up to Pines and stood between him and her. Everyone was watching us and at this moment I wished I had my war paint. The cafeteria went silent; even the incessant chatterboxes shut up. Pines was pissed to say the least.

"Get out of my way, Joker. This ain't got nothing to do with you." He started towards her and tried to shove me out of the way. I shoved right back and before I knew it his fist connected with my jaw. I staggered back and that was when I became fully the Joker again. I swung at him, effectively landing my fist straight into his nose, the sickening crack and feeling of blood encouraging me on. I then kneed him in the stomach, twisted his arm and flipped him over. When I knew he wouldn't get back up immediately I took a moment to check on Analiese. Her hand was covering her mouth and she looked at me with fear and concern. That little part of me that wasn't the Joker sprung back up again, and I felt myself calm.

I stood up and quickly walked over to her, crouching down to her level. "Are you alright?" I whispered with my normal voice. She merely nodded affirmatively, and just to make sure I carefully put my hand on the spot where her head connected with the wall, and she winced. Instinctively I pulled my hand back and winced with her. However I felt no blood, a good sign.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, it's just a bit sore," she whispered quietly and breathlessly, "Are you alright?" She so very gently put her soft, dainty hand on my jaw. It was an odd feeling to say the least. Not a bad one by any means, but it felt weird to be touched by someone in a positive manner, so to speak. Not only that, but that she actually cared enough to ask whether or not I was ok was elating, albeit the strangest sensation I had felt in awhile.

"Yeah, don't worry, I'm fine." I tried to offer her some solace, some comfort in the fact that I would be perfectly fine. I stood up and offered her my hand, which she readily accepted. By this point in time Pines had just gotten up off the floor and guards were rushing towards us. Without thinking I pushed her a bit behind me.

"Alright Joker, put your hands up nice and easy, and we won't have to get rough." Get rough?! As if Pines wasn't being rough to being with? Lunatics, the lot of them.

"And, ah, you don'_t_ _think_ that Pines was playing just a bi_t_ rough with the lady to begin with?" I countered, so easily slipping back into my other voice.

"Put your hands up!" I complied, and Analiese did the same as I did. Three guards crept towards me, fear written all over their faces. However, not wanting to risk getting Analiese in more trouble, I kept myself calm and let them cuff me. They led us to our cells and shoved us in. I had no doubt that soon Dr. Benson would be wanting to have a little chat.

**Arkham Asylum. Later that evening. Analiese's POV**

I couldn't read that night; I was too shaken up. On the one hand I had been assaulted, on the other, my rescuer was none other than the clown prince of crime himself. Now, I had gotten to know him a bit more, and during our conversation at dinner I realized we shared the same philosophies, respected similar beliefs, held the same people in high regard. It was so, bewildering. The difference between us was that he acted in the manner in accordance with his, our, beliefs down to a T, while I was just too shy (and it wasn't in my nature) to act in this manner. He didn't seem to mind though, and while we certainly didn't have any real deep or meaningful conversation about this, something passed between us that is difficult to explain. It was like all of a sudden we both knew, we knew that we were both different from everyone else, yet the same together. And I could sense this different level of respect, I suppose that's the right word, from him.

I didn't expect him to leap up and just defend me like that. I was expecting him to stand back and see what I would do. So when he stood between us, more than prepared to fight for me, I was so taken aback and (though I'm not sure how I feel about admitting this, to myself or anyone else), I felt a feeling swell up in my chest that was a mix of pride and elation and joy at seeing him.

Which brings me to another point. I didn't mind being around him. I actually enjoyed our dinners together. And I also wasn't uncomfortable with him watching me read. Another point that bothered me; I should mind. I should care that the Joker has taken an interest in me, but I don't. Combined with this was the fact that I didn't find him repulsive. His scars weren't as prominent as they were made up to be, and he was younger than what he appeared to be in makeup. He was probably only a few years older than I was, and I was only 23. And his voice is so husky and deep and soothing. At least, his non-Joker voice is. He has never explained why there is a difference, why he acts one way around me, and with everyone else he is the Joker. I don't want to ask; I figure its best to wait and see if he wants to tell me.

Anyways, I was thinking about everything that had transpired in the last few weeks between us and I came to a unsettling conclusion. I actually liked him. And I'm not talking about the middle-school "like each other" scenario. No, I liked him. His personality, the way we interacted with one another, his mannerisms, his sense of humor, his looks. I liked him. I liked everything about him.

As I was sorting my thoughts, trying to make sense of this new revelation, I heard my door opening. I didn't even have time to panic as I was dragged out of the room and down the dark hallway. I kept thinking to myself, "Don't cry. Don't cry."

I was escorted to a dimly lit room and shoved into a chair.

"Good evening, Analiese. I would like to talk to you about the events that transpired earlier this evening." I froze. It was Dr. Benson. His tone was polite on the surface, but I detected malice underneath. "So, _my dear_, it seems you have caused quite an uproar today. Officer Pines told me how you blatantly disrespected him, and how you and the Joker verbally ganged up on him and were starting to get out of control. He then said he was required to use force to calm you down, as you were getting violent. Seeing as how this report is rather disturbing, I believe that _disciplinary _action is required."

I was livid! But my voice was gone. "That is not true. Officer Pines is lying. I said nothing. He was verbally assaulting me." I whispered out, trying my best to remain calm.

"Haha _my dear_. I sincerely doubt that. Remember, you are here partially because you are delusional. I believe Officer Pines. So, would you like to know how we treat patients with severe disrespect problems?" He leered at me maliciously and all I could do was grip the arms of the chair and close my eyes. "We use aquatic shock submissive therapy, which is my own special treatment. I developed it myself. It is designed to stimulate mental shock in such a way as to enhance submissiveness in the patients. And don't worry, we don't administer electrical shock."

I didn't know what to say. I was frozen; I was terrified. Someone stood me up and stripped me down to my underwear and threw a baggy white T-shirt over my head. I was then dragged to a chair and strapped in. All of a sudden the floor below me opened and I realized I was strapped to a chair in the middle of a small pool. And then they lowered me in. Over and over again into the freezing cold water. They lowered me quickly and held me under until I thought I was going to pass out. This continued for quite sometime; and I was so worn out I couldn't even dress myself. Lucky for me, Pines (or Whines as Joker likes to call him) got to take off my wet T-shirt and dress me. His hands were in places that they should not have been and I didn't have the strength to fight him off. I was so angry at myself, so upset, so humiliated, and in so much pain from the aquatic treatment. When he picked me up to take me to my cell I tried to muster some courage to slap him away, only to receive a bit of a beating. He slapped me hard and kneed me in the stomach. I nearly fainted. The worst though, was when he left me in my cell, he whispered something in my ear...

**Arkham Asylum. Late that night. Joker's POV**

I was sitting in my cell most of the evening mulling over the emotions I was experiencing regarding my new friend. She was beautiful, to be sure, but there was something else about her that just drew me to her. I don't know what it was, but the fact that today I figured out that we think the same, that she's not another one of these regular people, well I uh don't really know what to say other than wow. I was confused. Being the Joker for so long, I don't remember what these sorts of things feel like. Actually, I don't think I've ever had to deal with these sorts of emotions before. My head was buzzing, and for once I didn't welcome the chaos that this situation brought.

I had heard some movements in the hallway, so I leapt out of bed and carefully glanced out my window. That's when I saw her, sitting in her reading corner, bundled up and shaking like a leaf, sobbing. I had so many emotions raging up in me at that moment: anger, sorrow, fear and many more. I wanted to go to her, but I couldn't, so I did my best to get her attention.

Eventually she looked up and must have seen my face in the window. Her face was extremely pale, her hair was wet, there were tears streaming down her face and her lips were so blue. She slowly and what looked to be painfully stood up and got close to her window to see me.

I needed to talk to her, so I mouthed very dramatically, "_What happened_?"

She merely shook her head no and started crying again.

"_Don't cry," _I gestured to her with my hands. "_Tell me, please?_"

"_Dr. Benson_," she responded and I was furious. I don't know what he did to her, but that bastard will pay. Clearly he hurt her, and I cringed to think of what he did to her.

"_What did he do_?"

"_Later. And...Pines..." _Pines?! What the hell was he doing in all this. I already have a list of reasons to kill him, but if he touched her, I will make him suffer.

"_He...he...he threatened..."_

_"What? Tell me..."_ She started sobbing again and I was powerless as she leaned her head against the glass and cried. That's when I decided it was time. I unlocked my cell door with the key I had snatched from Pines, grabbed my blanket, and quickly unlocked her cell and let myself in. I lead her to the bed to sit down and wrapped her in my extra blanket.

"Hey, look at me," I said as gently as I could. Her beautiful eyes met mine and I wiped her tears away with my thumb. "Tell me what happened, beautiful." Where that last word came from, or why I blurted it out I will never know.

"Well...um...Dr. Benson wanted to see me..." Her voice was unsteady as she tried her best to hold back her remaining tears. "And he told me that Pines reported that the whole um, incident, earlier today, was my fault. That I...that I started it." She started to cry again. I wanted to hold her, but I didn't want her to think that I was taking advantage of her. So, I held myself back.

"That's bullshit! Did you tell him that?" I was livid, but unfortunately I had to keep my voice down.

"I tried but he...he wouldn't listen," Another shaky breath. "He said that I was disrespectful and so he...he put...me..." And she started sobbing again. So, I rubbed her back comfortingly (or at least what I think was comfortingly) and shushed her.

"Shhh, shhh. Don't cry. Hey now. It'll be ok. Don't cry." After a few moments she calmed down and actually leaned on me as I kept my arm on her back. The contact was exhilarating and soothing at the same time.

"He put me in this...aquatic shock therapy. Or something like that. I..."

"HE WHAT?!" That was the final straw. I seethed and got up and paced the room, my fists clenched.

"Um...Joker?" I stopped, and with my back turned to her I mulled over in my mind a decision that, if I chose to do this, there was no going back. I would have completely surrendered that part of myself to her, and there was no going back. I sat next to her again and lifted her face until her eyes met mine.

"Don't call me that. My real name is Jack." That was it. No going back. And I didn't regret it at all.

"Jack, then." Though her voice was shaky, it still sounded so good rolling off of her lips.

"What else happened?" I tried to be as calm as I could, for her sake.

"Um, it was cold, and I couldn't breath. I don't know...Um, I was soaking wet and needed to put my clothes back on but I was...too weak," She said it like it was the most horrible crimes.

"Hey, it's ok. That thing that he does, he did it to me once, and I could hardly move at the end." She seemed to relax a bit after I said that.

"I'm so sorry! Are you ok?"

"Haha hey now beautiful, don't you worry about me one bit. I'm fine. I'm worried about you." At this point I decided it was ok to put my arm around her shoulders and pull her a bit closer. What I didn't expect was that with the fresh batch of tears came her snuggling up against me. I welcomed the contact with I hope wasn't too much enthusiasm.

"He let Pines...dress me..." She buried her head into my shoulder.

At this point I felt such anger that I started to shake myself. My fist clenched up and a punched the the wall next to me. She didn't move.

"He...he...groped me and I couldn't do a damn thing about it!" Her sobbing increased tenfold. "And then, when I finally tried to push him away he...he hit me."

I couldn't see, I was so furious! But then I let the words sink in and I held her out from me and examined her. The Jack side of me was gaining the upper hand, and I steadied my breathing to calm myself down. When I examined her face I saw a huge bruise forming right over the old one and her lip was a bit puffy. I stroked it gently with my thumb.

"Ah, sweetheart, I'm so sorry. I swear to you..." I looked right into her eyes to let her know I meant it, "I will kill them both." She didn't seem shocked, but rather she nodded her head and I noticed she was holding her stomach.

"Let me see." She was very hesitant, understandably, but eventually with gentle prodding she gave in. It was a huge bruise, and looked really painful. When I grazed my thumb over it she winced rather loudly and I pulled away, immediately missing the touch of her soft skin. I didn't waste any time in getting a cold washcloth and holding it gently to her stomach.

"Here, let's see if this helps." She nodded and I pulled her close again, still keeping the cloth pressed to her tummy.

"Thank you," she said softly and leaned into me more. I loved how snugly she seemed to be, and I welcomed every bit of it.

"What else happened?"

"When he brought me back here he...he...threatened me..." More tears.

"With what?" My tone was darker than I had intended it to be, and I immediately wished I could've retracted how I said that.

"Rape." The word was so quiet I could barely hear it, but my emotions shot through the roof. I was feeling so much that it felt like I couldn't even feel. However, the Jack side of me tugged at my conscious and reminded me to check on Analiese. I dropped the washcloth and pulled her frozen and sobbing body as close as possible.

"Shh, shh, sweetie. Everything's going to be ok. I'm not going to let him hurt you. Shh, shhh, it's alright, it's alright. Don't cry." I did my best to soothe her, and placed a chaste kiss on her frozen forehead.

"Sweetheart, look at me," her eyes gladly sought mine, "I promise you, I'm not going to let them hurt you anymore. I will do everything I can. I won't let him touch you." I was dead serious, and the look in her eyes told me that she trusted me completely. I couldn't shatter that trust. Before I could react, she reached up and did the unthinkable. She kissed my cheek, right on my scar.

"Thank you, Jack." And she buried herself into my chest. The feeling, this feeling, I can't even describe. I was so...happy. It was surreal. Eventually her sobbing stopped and she warmed up. I knew that the guard would be doing rounds soon and I needed to get back.

"Hey, Analiese? I need to get back before the guards see me. And you should get some rest. Here..." I moved and motioned for her to lay down. "Try to get some sleep, alright?"

"Jack?" She handed me my blanket.

"Keep it for tonight. You need it more than I do." I hesitated for a second, thinking whether this would be going to far but I caved. I kissed her head and lingered for a moment, savoring it. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight." She smiled and I returned it. By the time I closed her cell door she was already fast asleep, probably from pure exhaustion. I however, could not sleep. I paced my cell all night racking my brain for ideas on how to get us both out of here. Needless to say, I was exhausted by the morning.


	5. Chapter 5

**Arkham Asylum. The next morning. Analiese's POV**

I woke up that morning, feeling sore and groggy. I must have passed out when the Joker, Jack, told me to sleep. I still though felt exhausted. The air was cold and I shivered when my feet hit the floor. I quickly brushed my hair and teeth, and carefully splashed water on my face. I looked in the mirror and grimaced. The side of my face was purple and swollen. Then I remembered something; last night, even though I was a mess, Jack called me beautiful. I blushed at that. I sat down for a bit and thought about what had transpired last night. He came to me when I needed him most, and did his best, everything that he could, to make me feel better and make sure I was alright. I have never been treated that sweetly by a man before, except maybe my grandfather. But that doesn't count, you know, it's not the same. He even gave me his blanket, and it was always cold at night in here, so I'm sure he must've been cold. On a side note, it smelled like him and I have to say, it smelled really good. It smelled like man, for lack of a better word. But it also had a distinct scent that I couldn't place, but it was good. Anyways, I realized that I should be terrified right now but I'm not because Jack promised that he would protect me. And I believed him with all my heart. I'm not sure if that's stupid, and I hope to God that my trust isn't completely misplaced, but something about the way he treated me last night told me that he was genuine. In fact, I'm sure of it because he told me his name.

With these thoughts mulling around in my mind I decided to see if he was awake. He was standing at the window waiting for me, and he smiled when he saw me.

"_Good morning. How are you feeling?_"

"_Good morning, I'm ok. You?_" He motioned for me to smile, most likely because I looked utterly defeated when I said I was ok. I tried to return the smile as best as I could but my face hurt when I did.

"_I'm alright._" He then gestured for me to stand back and sit down; the guards were coming to bring us breakfast. Everyone ate breakfast individually for some reason. It consisted of grey sludge, watery orange juice and very ripe fruit. Oh, I would have given anything for coffee or tea. I was still cold a bit. Regardless, I tried to eat as much as I could stomach before they came to take breakfast away.

After I was sure they were gone, I went back up to the window, only to find Jack waiting for me. He smiled and once again I tried to return it.

"_Are you sure that you're ok?_" He seemed genuinely concerned. I was touched.

I nodded. "_Just sore. Tired_. _But I'll be fine._" He nodded in understanding and I tried to reassure him with as much of a smile as I could muster that I would be fine.

"_Want to hear a joke?" _ He asked and I nodded my head yes. Only he would try to attempt a joke at a time like this.

"_Ok here goes..." _he knocked on his window and laughed.

"_Whose there?_" I did my best to smile back at him.

"_Annie_" To make sure I understood he spelled it out in the air.

"_Annie who_?" I laughed when I realized he was using my name, sorta.

"_Annie thing you can do, I can do better_." He laughed and winked at me, and I laughed too, despite the fact that it made my face sore. Now I knew the real reason why they called him the joker, he was funny! He seemed pleased with himself at my reaction and I thought that now would be a good opportunity to thank him.

"_Thank you_." He seemed puzzled at first.

"_It was just a joke_."

I shook my head no and held up his blanket. "_For everything_."

"_Ah, yeah. You're welcome_." He smiled once again but it faded immediately and he motioned for me to step back. It was time for group therapy, and none other than Pines came to escort me there. My heart dropped and I sat back down on my cot. Jack was already out of his cell and cuffed by another guard. Pines's hand dug into my arm as he yanked me up and cuffed me. When he didn't think the other guards were looking he tried to grab my ass, only to have me step out of the way and conveniently next to Jack. He looked like he was about to attack Pines and I discretely looked up at him quickly and shook my head. Jack seemed to understand, and stepped away from Pines, who hadn't even noticed. He walked as close as he could behind me, however, and I felt my face flush and butterflies in my stomach when I realized he was doing it to try to protect me as much as he could.

Too soon we were in that ugly, sickly looking room and Jack sat down next to me. All the guards, except one who I didn't recognize, left and Dr. Benson sat down. While they were seating the other patients, Jack scrutinized my face. I suddenly became extremely self-conscious and I could feel my face going red. He made a quiet sound and I looked up at him. He had that look of extreme concern written on his face again. He was studying the bruise on my face, but once the last member of our little session sat down he looked away, and I resumed my normal studying of the grungy tiled floor.

"Good morning lady and gentlemen. I trust you all had a good night's sleep?" I could hear the smirk in his voice and Jack stirred in his seat next to me. I could hear that his breathing had picked up and I could see in my mind his eyes go dark and the look of fury pass over his face. I remembered that from last night, when he seethed when I told him of what happened. I said a silent prayer in my mind that he wouldn't do anything; I didn't want him to get into further trouble because of me.

"Regardless, even if your sleep wasn't as _restful_ as I hope it was, lets get started, shall we? Today I am going to talk to you about introducing you all to an extra hour of therapy. I noticed that some of you like to fiddle with your hands, and one of the assistant doctors here has suggested that we have you all do crafts to direct your energies towards something constructive." The room was a tomb, and before anyone could protest he continued. "As for today, I would like to discuss with you all a topic that I have noticed is lacking in this group...respect."

I could feel the tension in the room, and once again Jack shifted. Once again I pictured his face, and I bent my head down further to keep anyone from seeing my red face. This was going to be a long session.

**Arkham Asylum. Lunchtime. Joker's POV**

I could barely sit in my seat that entire session. I knew that he was doing this to humiliate and hurt Annie. Every time I glanced at her she had her head hung further and further down and I knew that she was hurting. The only reason I didn't do anything was one, I was biding my time until I could make him suffer, and two, I didn't want any repercussions on Annie.

At lunch we sat in our usual spot, and I watched as she picked at her food.

"You know, you really ought to try to eat more. I know it's gross, but you're going to get sick. You already look like you're coming down with something, and last night didn't help. But more food might."

"I'm a vegetarian, sorta." She said quietly. Oh duh! I'm so stupid! If I had been paying attention I would have realized that so easily.

"Sorta?"

"Yeah it's weird. I don't like eating meat that I know has come from abused animals, cause I have a huge soft spot for them. So I just don't. But I don't have enough willpower to be a full vegetarian." She looked down bashfully and chuckled.

"Hmm, that's very interesting. Who would've thought? Here." I handed her my piece of bread and apple and half my dessert. In exchange I took her gravy laden meat and mashed potatoes.

"Oh really, you don't have to do that! It's too much!"

"Don't worry about it. You need it."

"Thanks," and she tried to smile as best as she could, but I could tell that it hurt. We fell into that comfortable silence that I have really started to love as we ate, and I kept my eyes trained on her face. I really rather liked this girl and every time I looked at her bruise I felt the same kind of anger that I did when I was younger, with my mother...

Anyways, she ate everything I gave her, and I was pleased. I leaned forward.

"You know what I would like most right now?" she said randomly.

"No, what?"

"Some tea. Or coffee. But since I'm not feeling up to par, probably tea." She looked off into the distance and smiled slightly. I could picture her in my mind cuddled up with a blanket, near a window, reading a book with a cup and saucer (because she seemed like a saucer type of girl) full of strong tea.

"Maybe they have some here..."

"I doubt it. What about you? What do you want most right now?"

"Right now? Hmm...that's tough. I want a lot of things."

"What are they? You've got me all curious now!" She giggled and I winked at her.

"Well, let's see, for starters, real food. And my clothes back. Oh, and I want to leave here! Can't forget about that one! Haha." We both laughed and for a short while everything faded away and seemed normal, in a sense.

"Oh and I want to settle a few debts with my _favorite_ people here." She looked up at me, wide eyed, but smiled slightly.

"Listen, are you sure you're ok?"

"Jack," she whispered very quietly, trying to make sure no one would hear. It was such a sweet gesture and the way she said it made my breath involuntary hitch and a shudder run down my spine. "I'll be ok. And I have you to thank for that. You worry too much." She smiled sightly and I smiled back and she looked at me curiously.

"What?"

"You've been brushing your teeth, haven't you?" She asked very animatedly, and was very excited.

"Haha, you took your sweet time to notice! But yes, I have."

"It looks great! Your mouth doesn't hurt too much, does it?"

"Eh it was kinda sore, but not too much." I looked down at my lap, and actually felt my face heat up. She noticed!

"Well, I'm flattered you took my advice." She looked down and I realized it was about time to go back to our cells.

"Of course. You're not...stupid." The words didn't come out right, and I felt angry and embarrassed with myself. She seemed to nod in understanding, and went to take her tray up. She winced and struggled to get up.

"Alright my ass. Here, let me take that for you." I quickly grabbed hers and mines trays and quickly carried them away so as to not leave her by herself for very long. Luckily, no one seemed to dare swoop in while I was up.

"Thank you." She said when I sat down.

"Now, listen. You make sure that you put a cool washcloth or something on that as soon as you get back, alright?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Look at me." She looked up. "I'm serious. The swelling and bruising needs to go down, and I can tell that you're lying when you say it's only sore." I didn't mean to sound so harsh, but I really wanted to make sure she was ok. She looked down and I felt ashamed that I was so harsh.

"Hey, I didn't mean to be so...harsh...I only..." She cut me off.

"I know you weren't trying to be. And don't worry, I will." She tried to smile again and I appreciated her attempt.

"Thanks." I glanced up only to see the guards coming towards us. "Looks like it's time to go."

When we got back she started reading again and I watched, as usual. Every day we did this, and even though she knew I was watching her she carried on like she did before, and didn't acknowledge my presence. I was thankful for that. However, after only an hour of peace, the guards came and hauled us away again. This was unusual, but luckily they took us together. I could keep an eye on her, for now.

They sat us all down at small tables and I finagled my way to a seat next to my gi...Annie. A young woman, looking rather pretentious, stood next to Dr. Benson. She was a pretty blonde, but she had a face full of makeup and looked rather fake. She was the type of girl whose most men would be attracted to, but she was shallow and her only beauty lay in her cake face and too straight hair. You could tell by the look on her face that she knew men were attracted to her, and I wanted to wipe the smug little grin off her face. Except I wouldn't want to see comes off onto my hand afterwards. Yuck.

"Good morning ladies and gentlemen. I am Dr. Bush," you could hear the collective chuckle and a few whistles from many of the inmates," an assistant psychiatrist here at Arkham. I will be supervising your time in here. Anyways, let's get started, shall we? Today we have supplies for you to make whatever you like out of them, so please, proceed. Oh, and you have one hour." Her voice was squeaky and high, like she was trying to hard to sound feminine. I looked at Annie. No, this doctor had nothing on the natural beauty sitting so close to me. Analiese didn't have to try to be stunning, she just was. This doctor had to try, and she didn't even come close.

I looked at the table to see various forms of glue and glitter and paints, string of various colors and macaroni. Are you kidding me? This is stupid. Anyways, after a pregnant pause a few inmates reluctantly started, and after a minute or so the rest joined in. I waited even longer, but I didn't want to draw suspicion so I picked up some macaroni. Annie did the same as me. I noticed that in situations where she was unsure how to act, she followed my lead. It wasn't overt and I felt rather, good, to be looked up to like that.

We both started making our 'jewelery', if it can even be called that, and the room picked up to a normal level of chatter. Loud enough for me to quietly talk to Annie without anyone overhearing.

"Is blue your favorite color?" I asked when I noticed she was dusting several carefully painted dark blue pieces of macaroni with silver glitter.

"I think so, although, sometimes I like other colors better." Damn, her macaroni looked so much better than mine, and she didn't even try.

"And how did I know that you would paint yours purple and green?" She smiled.

"Well gee, I don't know. You must be psychic, I don't know how anyone would be able to tell that." I faked astonishment and was rewarded with a very quiet laugh and smile.

"You should put green glitter on the purple ones, and purple glitter on the green ones." Then all of a sudden she got that same look on her face as she did when she told me I should brush my teeth. "But, of course onl..."

"That's a great idea!" I immediately cut her off and began doing as she suggested. In truth, it did make it look better. And to top it off, I could feel her relax again.

We had a whole half an hour left and we were already stringing this stupid jewelery together. I did relish, however, in the familiar feeling of paint on my hands. When I was done, I inspected my necklace.

"Yes, hmmm, I should say this will fetch at least 30 grand on the market, if not more. And why, look at your masterpiece. Why Annie, you've done it again! That will fetch at least twice as much as mine!" We both laughed. I discreetly set my necklace in her hand. "A gift, for the lady." I whispered, and my voice got really low. She blushed and took it.

"Annie?" She suddenly asked me, and I realized the slip up I just made.

"Oh, opps. I'm sorry. I didn't mean...if you don't want me calling you that, just say so and I won't." I rambled on.

"Hey, it's alright. I don't mind in the slightest." She reassured me and just then, I felt a rush of happiness surge through me. Maybe this craft time wasn't so bad after all. Sooner than expected, however, we headed back to our cells to carry on the evening as normal. I stayed up that night just to make sure that Annie would be ok.


	6. Chapter 6

**Arkham Asylum. A week later. Joker's POV**

I once again had that same feeling in the pit of my stomach that day that Dr. Benson tortured Annie. I woke up, and I just felt it. I kept an extra close watch out, especially on Annie. The day passed by with no events, until group therapy.

"Good morning lady and gentlemen. Today I want to discuss with you all something special that's happening here at Arkham. Some of the wings are getting renovated with a more high tech security system." _Shi-t. _I thought to myself. This is exactly what I don't want to happen. "As such, we are going to have to move one cell block at a time, starting with yours. Tomorrow morning, after breakfast, you all will make a road trip to Blackgate Penitentiary until the new renovations are complete. Now, since it is too dangerous, we feel, to move you all in daylight in the middle of Gotham, we will be taking the scenic route along the outside of the city. This will take a couple of hours more but we believe that it will enhance our security."

Benson then began to drone on about psychiatric nonsense and I tuned him out in an effort to solidify an escape plan. If Anne and I could get on the same van, it would be a breeze. If not, then I would still do everything in my power for us to escape, but it would certainly be much more difficult. Of course, there was always the matter of asking her to escape with me to. While I had no doubts that she would say yes, I still needed to make sure.

The rest of the day proceeded as usual, and I couldn't wait until dinner. When we sat down together, I immediately began dividing up my food and trading everything with meat with her so she could eat more. Naturally, this came with a wave of protest, but I dismissed them all in my efforts to take care of her.

"Hey, Analiese?" She looked up at me curiously, due to my sudden departure from our casual conversation.

"Yes?"

"Listen, I have this idea. And you can't tell anyone about this. And I'm not going to tell you the details but I have a plan to get outta here shortly and I was wondering, well uh, would you go with me?" I said the words as quietly as I could.

"Oh Jack..." a big smile formed on her face. It was the first big, real smile I had seen from her and once again I got that weird feeling in my chest. "I would absolutely love to." She said her piece just as quietly as I said mine. I looked into her eyes and she met my gaze, and I swear we could both feel the each other's happiness.

"Great. Ok so just don't do anything out of the norm and I'll get you and I both outta here, ok?"

"Of course, whatever you say." She was still grinning and I couldn't help but grin with her. It amazed me how I could find such a gem in a wacko place like this. We once more fell into a comfortable silence with an occasional comment. I couldn't help but stare at her, since I let her know of my plans, her whole demeanor has changed. She seemed lighter, definitely more cheerful, content and peaceful. She wasn't on edge. It was really refreshing and I tried to soak up this new side of her that she let me see. I however, was still mulling all the details over in my mind. I knew I wouldn't relax until we were somewhere totally safe.

**Arkham Asylum. After dinner that evening. Analiesa's POV**

Unfortunately I had finished my book about 15 minutes into my normal reading time and thus had nothing to do. That was ok though; I was perfectly content replaying in my mind when Jack asked me to accompany him. I just couldn't believe it. He was looking our for, caring for me. A practical nobody. I felt special for the first time in a long time.

I decided to go up the window and talk to him. "_I finished my book, now I have nothing to do._"

He nodded and said, "_What a shame, I rather like watching you read. Well, you could always talk to me!_" We both smiled and that's exactly what we did.

_"So, you must like to do other things besides reading, right?"_

_"Yeah," _I replied. I could tell that he wanted to use this time to get to know me better, and I was more than willing to respond. "_I used to ride horses a lot_."

"_Woah, wait. I never pictured you as the cowgirl type haha."_

_"Oh goodness, no way! I rode dressage, I did jumping. Cross country eventing." _He didn't seem to understand at first, but smiled nonetheless.

_"Wow, that's so interesting. I'll have to watch you ride at some point. Did you every have a horse?"_

_"Haha I wish. But they're so expensive!"_

_"I can see that. Well maybe you'll get one for Christmas soon." _We both laughed, though a part of me desperately wanted him to be sincere about that.

"_Well, you must have hobbies too right? Other than being the Joker?"_

_"Haha yeah I do. Let's see, I like to read and uh, tinker with this and that. Oh and go for walks haha. Nothing too interesting."_

_"Those sound excellent! Do you um, have a middle name?"_

_"It's Henry, after my grandfather. And yours?"_

_"Sophia-Evangeline. After my great-grandmother and grandmother. Oh and technically my first name is An-a-lis-a."  
_

_"Analiesa Sophia-Evangeline Vukovic. That's very beautiful."  
_

_"Thanks," _I blushed, "_I like Jack Henry. And I don't suppose I'll ever know your last name?"_

_"Someday, you will. Not yet though. So, have you always lived in Gotham?"_

_"Yeah, except I spent the summers in Croatia with my grandfather."_

_"Really? Why?"  
_

I wasn't quite ready to tell him that part of my life so I simply said, "_Later. It's complicated. How about you?"_

_"I've always lived in Gotham. The Narrows, to be exact."_

_"Hey, I grew up in the Narrows too!"_

_"You and I are like two peas in a pod!"_ All of a sudden I gained the courage to ask him about something very important to me that I had been putting off.

"_Hey Jack?" _He noticed my change in tone and his face grew somber/

_"What is it?"_

_"Well, do you know if they keep the stuff that you come in here with?"_

_"Yeah they do, why?"_

_"Well, I had this locket, it was my grandmother's and it's been in the family for generations before her. It's beautiful, and it's so important to me. Do you think there is any way I can get it back?"_

_"Don't worry, I'll get it for you. What does it look like?"_

_"Oh Jack, don't go to all the trouble to get it yourself." _However, in typical Jack style he gestured for me to hush.

_"It's not a problem at all. What does it look like?"_

_"It's a silver color. Very antique looking. It's not terribly big, but it has small pearls and sapphires on it. It's fairly ornate and has designs etched in it."_ I loved that locket; it had been passed down from mother to daughter for generations. My grandmother never gave it to my mother, and it wasn't until I got older that I understood why. I sadly and fondly remembered sitting next to her bedside while she handed me the beautiful heirloom.

_"It sounds beautiful. Of course, I will get it for you." _I could tell that that meant the end of the discussion. With Jack, I had started to pick up on the fact that he had this sort of look in his eyes, it wasn't scary, but I knew that it was futile to argue. So I mouthed the sincerest thank you that I could muster.

The questions continued for quite sometime. I found out that he was 27, and I told him that I was almost 24, to which animatedly explained that we must celebrate my birthday. I learned that he was an avid coffee drinker, but that he had never had Turkish coffee, which I promised to make him. In return, he promised to let me teach him how to ride a horse; a promise that I will hold him to. I told him about my big wolf dog named Vuk, which is Croatian for wolf. About how my grandfather gave him to me as a gift, but that he died a few years ago. Jack told me that he had never had any pets. Inwardly, I grieved for him; pets are the best.

We both came to the realization that it was getting late, and so we mouthed goodnight and headed to bed. Quickly, I fell into a deep slumber.

**Arkham Asylum. The middle of that night. Joker's POV**

Well, I knew that I would be going to get that locket at some point, which also proved advantageous seeing as how I wanted to get some of my things anyways. I knew that I probably would not be able to take my whole outfit, but a few knives would be handy. I waited until I knew the time was right, with the guard change and all, and I quickly picked the lock on my cell. Even though I knew it would waste time, I went and peeked into Annie's cell. She was still huddled in both my blankets, fast asleep. Her breathing was steady and she looked so peaceful. Beautiful. I had to tear myself away because I knew if I didn't I would just end up looking at her all night. I had begun to admit to myself that I more than just liked her. No, I was falling for her. In the Joker's mind this was unacceptable, but she brought out the Jack side, and slowly Joker became more and more alright with it.

I crept down the dimly lit hallway; this place was like a horror movie at night. It was altogether too easy to slip past the few guards and make my way into the records room. Each inmate had their own locker, in which all their things that they brought with them were so lovingly shoved into. The clerks who were at Arkham aren't the brightest, because they leave their filing cabinets unlocked; a fallacy I have exploited many times. Her file was easy enough to find, but before I opened it I hesitated. It would say what she was brought into Arkham for. I wanted to know so badly, but I knew that if she would've felt comfortable with me knowing she would have told me a long time ago. So, despite the fact that it was the most tempting thing in the world, I didn't look. I knew exactly where to find her locker number, and I only looked there. And at her picture of course, which was actually a good photo despite the fact that she wasn't smiling. So, I pocked it.

It was once again fairly easy to dash my way down that same hallway to the immense locker room, and it didn't take me long to find her number. I opened it and examined her belongings. I figured that if she trusted me enough with this, she wouldn't mind me studying everything else a bit. Her clothes were simple, yet very tasteful, and I took a note of what size she wore. Small, I should've figured. In their she had a pair of dark jeans and a white blouse, it buttoned up the front and had lace or crochet or whatever it is at the collar. She also had a pair of those ballerina looking shoes, except they were that patent leather in black. I could tell she was a classy dame, and inwardly I gave myself a pat on the back. Anyways, that's pretty much all she had, except some earrings and a faded black jacket, that was slightly frayed. Oh and I found that necklace, it was gorgeous and clearly very old. I studied it for a bit and realized that it fit her to a T. I grabbed just the locket and headed straight for mine. I have broken out of here enough times to know exactly where they keep my stuff.

My locker had all my old familiar things in it, and I relished the smell of gun and gasoline. I searched through all my pockets until I found my favorite knife. I grabbed a second one, I was planning on giving it to Annie for protection. I decided that it would be best to give it to her tonight, just in case we were immediately separated in the morning.

It once again was no trouble getting back to my cell bloc, and I realized that I had more time than I planned for. So I quietly unlocked Anne's cell and she immediately woke up. Man, was she a light sleeper or what! I rushed over to cover her mouth with my hand before she could scream. She didn't realize who I was and thrashed around for a bit until I calmed her. I felt suddenly felt guilty about scaring her, which was a very foreign feeling.

"Hey shh, it's me, Jack." She nodded and I took my hand from her mouth.

"Good Lord, Jack. You scared me half to death. I thought you were..." Before she could say his vile name I shushed her.

"I'm sorry. I just didn't want to be loud. I wanted to give you something." I handed the very small knife into her soft hands. "I don't necessarily want to you to use it, but if I'm not there and something happens, I want you to be able to protect yourself."

"Thanks. But Jack, I don't...I uh, I mean, I've never..." She seemed frightened by the prospect of killing someone with it.

"I hope you never have to. But just in case." I quickly showed her how to hide it in her sleeve, which was easy enough seeing as how the knife was tiny, perfect for her, and her clothes were so baggy.

She handed me my blanket. "Here, take it. It's cold and I feel so bad about keeping your blanket."

"It's just one more night, I've been fine so far."

"Yes, but won't they get suspicious if I have two blankets and you don't have any?" She made a good point and I was surprised nothing had been said before.

"Alright, good point." I took the blanket, which was slightly warm from her snuggling in it.

"Goodnight Jack."

"Goodnight beautiful." And I kissed her forehead again and left quickly without giving her a chance to react. Honestly, I was afraid it would be a bad reaction. I know she didn't mind before, but that was when she was distraught. Now that she had a totally clear head, I was afraid what she would say. So, I close my cell door just in time for the guard change and I wrapped myself up in the blanket. It smelled like her, feminine, soft and clean. I buried my face in the blanket like some lovesick teenager and finally drifted to sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

**Arkham Asylum. That next morning. Analiese's POV**

I awoke a little later than usual, and so went through my morning routine just a bit faster than normal, mostly because I didn't want the guards to see me doing my morning routine. After I was done, I immediately remembered last night's events and felt for the carefully hidden blade. Jack scared me half to death last night, and at first I was angry with him, but his sincere apology and look of guilt and concern on his face quickly dissolved my anger. I was touched by the fact that he went to all the trouble for me to have some means of protecting myself, though having a knife made me a bit queasy. I had no idea what to do with it really, and I was terrified by the prospect of having to use it. But, Jack's reassurance that it was a last resort quelled many of those feelings.

As custom, I peeked out my window to say good morning to Jack.

_"Good morning. Are you ready for today?" _Ready for today? Oh, shoot, that's right! We're being moved to Blackgate.

_"Good morning. And I don't know. Are you?"_

_"We'll see. Just watch yourself, alright?" _His face was serious, and I knew that he was very concerned about something. So I nodded my head. All of a sudden I became unsure and terrified again about the prospects the day was bringing. Luckily, Jack sensed my change of mood and in usual Jack style tried to reassure and cheer me up.

_"Don't worry! Besides, lucky for all of us, we're taking the scenic route."_ This did little to subdue the concern I felt, and I knew that when Jack was serious like he was right now, something was bothering him. And I hated that. It made me feel really unsure because right now, he was my rock. And despite the fact that he was trying, I could see straight through the act.

_"Don't lie to me." _

_"Listen, I'm just hoping that everything works out the way I think it will, that's all. Don't worry about it." _While I couldn't hear his tone, I knew by the way he tilted his head and looked me dead in the eyes that he meant business. He wasn't angry with me, in fact he seemed surprised that I knew he was covering something up. He was just, I don't know. I did know that he didn't want to have to worry about me on top of everything else. It was just something I could sense. So for his sake, I smiled and nodded. With that, he seemed to relax a bit.

Breakfast would be served in a few minutes, and I sat down on my bed to wait. I could tell that Jack wanted to think, and while we enjoyed our times conversing through the windows, today he needed to concentrate. I crinkled my nose at the grey porridge that they tried to pass off as food, but ate it nonetheless. I knew that when they took the trays away, we would be herded to some vehicle and whisked away. I just prayed that Jack would be next to me.

To my chagrin, Pines manhandled me to an armored bus looking vehicle and threw me down onto a seat. I scooted away from him as much as possible and pressed myself into the window next to me. Much to my relief, because there were other guards nearby, he didn't try anything, but merely winked. It sent a shudder down my spine and I felt as if I was going to cry. I put my head down and refused to look up when I felt a body sit next to me. I was too afraid to look up until he spoke.

"Aw come on, I went to all this trouble to sit next to you, and you can't even look up? I mean, I know I just started brushing my teeth, but they can't be that bad, can they?" He chuckled to himself quietly and I looked up with a mix of relief and happiness when I saw him. I smiled and he gave me a broad smile in return. However, we didn't speak, as was our usual pattern in situations where others could see us, because we didn't want to give them any reason to be suspicious, or for them to know the full extent of our friendship. Knowing people like Benson or Pines, they would exploit it.

Instead, we people watched. We observed all the different kinds of prisoners they put on the bus. There were the incessant chatterboxes who drove everyone crazy, there were the quiet brooding ones who never smiled, there were the creepy ones who talked to the voices in their heads. They put both men and women together, which created a whole different problem. The creepy men would try to seduce the crazy women, or sometimes vice versa. It was disgusting and often I would look over to see the two men across the isle leer at me. After the third time it happened, I looked up at Jack. He turned his head and gave those two the scariest look I have ever seen. Needless to say, they didn't even glance in this direction as far as I could tell after that.

While it seemed that there were many people, in reality there were only eight other prisoners and two guards. One driving, and the other well, guarding. I guess it was that nutcase sitting two rows ahead who wouldn't stop having a whole conversation in different voices, mimicking different people, on his own. We weren't even sitting there for more than a few minutes and he was already getting on my nerves. I looked out the window and sighed. This was going to be a long trip.

**On the bus. A few hours later. Joker's POV**

I wish you could've seen the look on Annie's face when she looked up at me. God it was so, I don't know. It made me feel proud almost, elated, to know that she was so relieved and happy to see me.

We had come to the level where not only could I read her face so well, but she could also read mine, something that I certainly wasn't used to by any means. I actually loved that she was the only one who could know what I was thinking and feeling, generally, by my face. So when she looked up at me with concern, I knew exactly what was going on. Nothing felt better than looking over at those two perverts and scaring the shit outta them. And good lord, if that chatterbox didn't shut up soon, I would go up there and permanently quiet him. I knew that he was also getting on Anne's nerves, so it was an even better reason to shut him up. But I didn't because soon enough the bus started moving, and I needed to stay focused.

So, for a few hours Anne and I didn't talk, but we would share glances. I sat between her and the window as a layer of protection. I was especially glad for this because neither of us realized that Pines was the officer who was guarding our cohort the second half of the trip. When he switched with the other guard because he was driving first, he did a walk through before we got moving again. Of course, he had to make a stop to leer at Anne, and I was about ready to kill him. He didn't say anything, but when he winked at her, she had to put her hand on my arm to keep me from stabbing him right then and there. I was glad she did, because it would have ruined my plan, not that she would've known.

It was getting dark outside and we still weren't at Blackgate. We at least should've been crossing the bridge by now, and I had a sneaking suspicion that there were other plans that we were not aware of. Annie caught on to this too, and she looked at me with fear written all over her face. What didn't help was that when we made a restroom stop for the driver, Pines came back to greet us.

"Hey doll, just wanted to say that I'll be seeing ya real soon. We might have to stop for the night cause we got a bit off track, and I'll be needin' some company tonight." He whispered. That was the last straw. I stood up and looked down on him (I was the taller one) and let the Joker take full control.

"I would _th-ink _by now, Swines, _tha-t _you would realize it's _bes-t _if you leave her alone. Try anything, and you. are. dead. I'm a man of my word." He was terrified, which was exactly what I wanted. I didn't sit down until he had reached the front of the bus. I looked down at her, and she looked like she was about to cry. So I sat down a took her hand in mine. She didn't cry, which I was thankful for.

An hour later and we still weren't there. It was late and we had been sitting here all day. I could no longer see the city lights from Gotham and I knew that we were pretty far from where we should have been. Either the idiots got us lost, or they had something else in mind. Anne was still tense as she sat next to me, and I noticed that she kept dozing off then waking herself back up. I knew that she was trying hard not to fall asleep because she was afraid.

"You should sleep. You need it. Don't worry about him. I'm here." I whispered as quietly as I could next to her ear. She looked up again at me and nodded. Instead of leaning against the window, as I would have expected, she snuggled up to my shoulder and almost immediately fell fast asleep. I leaned my head back and stared out the window, and for the first time in awhile I was perfectly content.

This didn't last long, as all the sudden the bus pulled into a shady gas station. I was immediately on alert and sat up, inadvertently waking Annie.

"Alright, we're gonna stop for a piss break and everyone goes in. We're gonna do this nice and easy." Pines shouted to get everyone awake.

They hauled us all outside and Annie stood close against me, shivering in the crisp night air. Pines escorted a few inmates in at a time and I noticed that the other guard was focusing on getting gas. I quietly unleashed my knife and took a few steps backwards until I reached the rear tire. I sliced it and immediately went back to where I was standing, sheathing my knife. This had worked out much better than planned. Luckily, Pines escorted us in with no issue, but we were in too public of a place for him to try anything.

We were herded back on the bus and immediately Anne scooted closer to me, put her hand in mine and fell asleep on my shoulder. I lightly squeezed her hand and rested my chin on the top of her head as I looked out the window. Before I did this, I made sure that everyone who could see was asleep. It wouldn't be long now before the cut I made to the tire would cause it to burst, so I took these few moments to relax a bit and enjoy the contact. She was a light and quiet sleeper, a nice contrast to the loud snores echoing through the bus.

It happened quickly; the tire burst and the bus went spinning out of control into a ditch on the road. Half the inmates screamed bloody murder and the back road we were on was pitch black. Pines got out immediately to look and the other guard was a bit dazed. Annie was awake and I motioned for her in all the commotion to follow me. We quickly dashed out the back door. I grabbed her hand and we ran into the forest as fast as we could. This was not ideal because I didn't know exactly how far we were from Gotham, nor if we were even heading in the right direction. At this point I didn't care. All we needed to do was get far enough away. By this point I was sure they would notice that we were gone, and that drove me to run as fast as I could with her. I felt bad pulling her along like I did, but I had to.

Eventually, we reached the back of a farmhouse. As quickly as I could, I unlocked hers and my cuffs and tossed them in the opposite direction in which we were about to head. She was practically panting, but we didn't have time to think about that now. There were some clothes on a clothesline and no lights on in the house. I put my hand over my lips to signal to her to be silent and to stay there. I quickly grabbed some clothes off the clothes line and ran back into the tree line.

"Here, put these on. Quickly." She nodded but looked unsure. "I won't peek. I promise." We both turned around and threw on the clothes. Her's were huge on her and I chuckled. But there was no time for that, I realized. I took our ugly Arkham uniforms and placed them in the same direction as I had thrown the cuffs. I grabbed her hand once again and headed in the direction of lights. We came upon a small town with a shady motel, a gas station, a few dark buildings, an old hardware store, things of that nature. I was glad that I remembered to sneak some cash as well as my knife from digging through my locker.

"Follow my lead." We walked hand in hand across the dead street to let her catch her breath. I casually walked into the shady motel and was greeted by a woman with dyed blonde hair, too much makeup and a cigarette in her hand.

"Hi, we need a room for the night." I used my normal voice with her so as not to arouse suspicion.

"Alright honey, we got one. But you gotta pay in advance." She didn't seem to care that we walked in at a late hour. That was the beauty of shady motels. No questions asked. I dug in my pocket and set down some cash.

"Room 17 is all yours. Have fun." I then realized that she probably thought Annie was some prostitute, but I didn't want to cause a scene so I let it slide. Hopefully we could have a few hours of rest before finding our way back to Gotham in the early morning. Analiese looked like she could really use it, and I know that I needed it.


	8. Chapter 8

**Joker's POV. Roughly around 1:00 am.  
**

We walked into the room and instantly it hit me; there was only one bed. I looked over at Annie and it didn't even seem to register with her, she was practically falling asleep just standing there. I chuckled lightly and left her standing to pull back the covers. It looked clean enough, I suppose. There were no funky odors so really, what's there to complain about? I walked over and stood in front of her, suddenly becoming very aware of how much of a towering presence I must have been.

"You alright?" I asked. She looked awfully winded.

"I'm fine. Just very tired." She half smiled up at me.

"Here, get some sleep." And I took her by the shoulders and lead her to the bed. She suddenly woke up and I could feel her muscles tense. "Hey now, I won't try anything. I promise." She just nodded her head and snuggled deep into the covers. I tucked her in then surveyed the room. I saw a chair; I could prop my feet up on the desk and it would work for now. However, as soon as I sat down I heard her soft, sleepy voice behind me.

"What are you doing?"

"Getting some sleep, which is what you should be doing." I turned my head and gently admonished her.

"That doesn't look very comfortable. Take the other half of the bed. I don't mind."

"I...no I can't...you..." But she cut me off.

"I insist." Her big smile sealed the deal for me and I not so reluctantly slid in the other half of the bed, making sure not to touch her in any capacity.

"Now will you sleep?" I chuckled at her and I could feel her shift in the bed.

"Haha yes. Goodnight Jack."

"Goodnight Annie." It took every bone in my body not to roll over and wrap my arms around her slender frame and bury my nose in her hair. As luck would have it, my Joker side actually kept me in check and I contented myself with the notion that she liked me well enough, and trusted me enough, to let me share this bed with her. I didn't fall asleep until I could hear her quiet breaths, then I allowed myself to doze off. I knew, however, that I would need to wake up early to run out and get things that we needed.

**Analiese's POV. About 5:00 that morning.**

I woke up to an empty half of the bed and Jack quietly digging around in his pocket. The room was dark but I couldn't miss his tall silhouette.

"Jack?" I whispered. I was still so exhausted and I hadn't found my voice yet. He quickly turned around to face me.

"Analiese? What are you doing up?"

"I heard someone shuffling around. Is everything ok?" I was genuinely a bit worried. He wasn't going to leave me, was he? I suddenly panicked and sat up.

"Hey, shh. Yeah everything's fine." He sat on the side of the bed and gently pushed me back down. "I'm going to run out and get a few things while it's still early. I'll be back. And since you're up, is there anything you need? I was going to get us some new clothes and food."

"I think I'm ok for now."

"Alright, then go back to sleep. I'll be back soon." I sorta didn't want him to leave, I rather liked having him so close. And he acted hesitant as well.

"Jack? Be safe." I could hear his distinct and warm chuckle as I slid deeper under the covers.

"Don't worry, Princess. I'll be back before you know it." He tucked a stray piece of hair behind my ear and left rather quickly. It didn't take me long to doze off again, but when I awoke several hours later, he still was not back yet and I was getting worried. However, I knew that my worry was perhaps misplaced. He was, after all, the Joker and he could certainly handle himself. As I actively attempted to reassure myself, I decided that a nice hot shower was in order. Really, I smelled pretty yucky from being a bus, running and sleeping in someone else's clothes. Gross. As I got out of bed I noticed a few shopping bags sitting on the floor. So he did come back! I sifted through them to find that he bought me some real clothes, or as real of clothes I assume he could find. I chuckled when I saw what he bought me. Clearly he tried to get me something fashionable, but didn't know what. Or he just wanted me to wear black leggings. I supposed that both were the case. He also got me new shoes and a jacket since it was getting cold outside. I was certainly very grateful at his thoughtfulness, as well as the fact that he didn't get me anything brightly colored.

Just before I stepped into the shower I noticed a book laying on the table, _The Brothers Karamazov_ by Dostoevsky. It had a hastily scribbled note attached.

_Annie,  
Went to the store and came back to drop this stuff off. I had to go and run more errands; I'll be back later. There's food and clothes in the bags. Oh, and I hope you like the book. I thought you might enjoy something to read while I'm gone. Stay safe, keep the door locked and the blinds shut.  
- Jack  
_

It was so sweet of him and I couldn't wait to dive into one of my favorite books. I stepped into the shower and let the steam carry my worries away for the time being while I awaited his return.

**Joker's POV. Later that day.**

I underestimated the amount of time it took me to walk to the nearest Wal-Mart, so instead of doing all my errands at once, I decided to drop off the clothes I had bought for Annie back at the motel. The town was eerily quiet and no one seemed to notice me. This was going well.

As soon as I got back to the motel, which was considerably early still, I noticed she was still sleeping peacefully and I took a few moments to study her. She was curled up with her knees slightly bent and her hands underneath the pillow. Her long dark hair was splayed over the entire pillow and her breathing was calm and even. She had a peaceful look on her face, and I was enjoying watching her sleep more than I enjoyed watching her read. And we all know I enjoyed that very much. Not wanting to wake her, I made myself snap out of my trance from watching her and quietly stepped into the shower. I took a rather quick shower, hastily put on my new clothes (a purple shirt, of course) and was just on my way out the door when I hesitated.

I stepped back into the room and stood next to her side of the bed and before I could talk myself out of it, I placed a quick kiss on her forehead. She stirred but to my good fortune she remained sound asleep. I looked back at the book I had picked up for her, a book I personally enjoyed and knew that she probably loved, and wrote a quick note. I wanted to write something more, romantic shall we say, but good thing that my more rational side came to the rescue and convinced me otherwise.

I arrived back at the room only to hear the shower running. I smiled to myself. She was up! I noticed that some food was eaten as well. Apparently she didn't expect me back because while my back was turned I heard "Jack!" and I immediately turned around. She was clad in only a towel that barely reached half-way down her thighs. I couldn't stop myself from eyeing her. I realized that I must have stood there gaping for a few seconds because she immediately turned bright red.

"Well I seemed to have come back at the most opportune time." I smiled and winked at her. Really, I couldn't help it. She looked so good. I just hoped she didn't notice that her towel clad body was having very, stirring shall we say, effects.

"You mean the most inopportune time." Annie chuckled at me and I felt more relaxed. She didn't seem angry in the slightest, but she did look embarrassed and quickly grabbed her clothes and headed to the bathroom. Meanwhile I busied myself getting out the lunch I had bought. The only available restaurants in this town were a McDonald's and takeout Chinese and I was dearly hoping that she liked vegetable melody and fried rice.

"That looks good." I turned around and the first thing I noticed were how good the clothes I bought her fit. Maybe too good. Especially those leggings and that shirt that was short enough that I could get a nice view of her cute little rear...I needed to stop.

"Well, I would say that my shopping was a success. They fit!" She laughed along with me and stood next to me.

"This looks delicious!" I handed her a fork and pulled out the chair, gently guiding her to sit down. "Now really Jack, you're just spoiling me!"

"Haha anything for you. My lady, may I present the finest cuisine in all of Gotham!" We both laughed and we caught ourselves staring into each others eyes. We both blushed and looked away, and I pulled the table up so that the end of the bed acted as a seat for myself, and turned on the news.

As I expected GCN's headline read "Joker and several Arkham patients escaped!" The newscaster was in a panic and I was sure that the city was in an uproar. I smiled triumphantly.

"Look what a splash we're making!" Annie didn't seem to share my enthusiasm however. "Don't worry, we'll be totally fine. Look they don't think it's just you. And besides, I'm the only one they are worried about." She seemed to relax and continued to dig into her food. I was glad that she was eating so much. "Hey, uh, once we're done eating we need to go. We need to get back to Gotham." She merely nodded her head because she had a mouth full of food.

As soon as she was done eating I grabbed the coat I bought for her and tossed it her way. She grabbed it and we both put on our shoes and headed out. I pulled my hood up to cover my scars and didn't bother cleaning up much.

"Oh wait, I forgot something. Here." I placed her locket in her hands and she looked up and me with a huge smile on her face. Then she did the unthinkable again; she kissed my cheek right over my scar.

"Jack, I don't even know how to thank you!"

"Then don't. It's no trouble at all." She handed the locket to me and lifted up her hair. I carefully placed the locket around her neck and as I stood behind her to fasten it I couldn't help but lean into her hair and rub my fingers on the soft smooth skin of her neck. She merely let down her hair and leaned back into me and I moved my hands to her shoulders and down her arms until I wrapped my arms around her. She leaned fully against me now and I prayed she didn't feel me straining against her. I held her against me for a bit and dropped my head on her shoulder. We stood like that for a few moments but I knew we had to go. I gently kissed her cheek right by her ear and whispered, "Ready to go?" She nodded and moved out of my embrace. I suddenly felt the emptiness of my hands; she had no idea what effect she had on me. God she was perfect. I looked at her and she had a small smile on her flushed face. Apparently I had an effect on her too. At least I hoped I did.

I lead her out into the hall and we made our way out of the motel with no problems. I had seen that there was a car parked along the side of the road for sale last night, so when I got up this morning I tried to open the door. The car was unlocked and some dumb ass had left the keys in the glove compartment. When I knew no one was around I made a mad dash to the car and started it up. Annie was right behind me and I sped out of town.

Once I realized that we were a safe distance away I slowed down a bit and stopped at a gas station. I needed to know exactly where we were.

"Stay in here. I'll be right back."

"Be safe." I was touched how concerned she always was for me.

"Hey, it's me." And before she could reply I had shut the door and was inside asking for directions. I went back to the truck as quickly as possible.

"So we're about a few hours outside of Gotham. We should have enough gas." I noticed that she was shivering slightly in the crisp air. Fall was coming upon us in full force.

"Cold?" Stupid question to ask but I asked anyways.

"Uh huh. Can we turn up the heat?" The good Lord knows that at that instant my mind was screaming yes, and it wasn't in response the the car heat either. I wanted to say yes, drive to the nearest out of site area and ravish her in the back seat. That was my ideal way of turning up the heat, shall we say. But instead I merely turned the dial on the dashboard up.

"Thanks."

"Of course. You don't have to ask you know." I smiled at her and we made the journey into Gotham. The car ride was mostly quiet. She read a bunch of that book I bought her and she dozed off for about an hour or so. I didn't mind one bit until we got closer into Gotham.

"Hey sweet-...Annie wake up." I gently shook her and her head snapped up immediately. "Hey we're getting closer into Gotham and they'll be looking for us. I need you to be awake in case we need to leave the car quickly, ok?"

"Um, ok. Hey Jack, where exactly are we going?"

"The Narrows. I know where we can stay to be safe."

"Safe? In the Narrows? Jack I-" But I cut her off.

"Listen, I'll protect you. I won't let anything bad happen. I promise."

"Well, you've done a marvelous job at it so far." And she wasn't being sarcastic. I glanced over and she was beaming at me and again I felt the flush rise into my cheeks.

I focused on driving as we neared Gotham. Luckily for us it was starting to get dark and I drove into town. I was on high alert on the inside, but being the Joker for so long meant I was an expert at looking calm and at ease on the outside. As we crossed the bridge into the Narrows I noticed Annie visibly tense.

"Didn't you grow up here?"

"Yes, but that doesn't mean I feel comfortable here." Her tone meant that she didn't want to discuss it further, and while I was dying to know why my girl was so tense, I didn't want to pry.

"Fair enough." I drove down some back alleys and less used roads until I parked the truck in a shady parking garage. We still had to walk for a bit to get to the safe house, but I didn't want to leave the truck anywhere suspicious.

"Um Jack, are we going to walk?"

"Yes, but don't forget, it's me your walking with."

"Well, I think I would feel more comfortable walking with the Joker right now. No one would bother him." That was probably the most absurd thing I would ever hear in my entire life. I loved this girl...I mean, strongly like of course.

"Haha very true. Look at me sweetie. Just because I don't have the makeup on doesn't mean I can't still do what the Joker would do. Do you understand?"

"Yeah. I'm sorry Jack. This place just makes me..."

"It's ok, I know. C'mon."

I stepped out of the car and went around to open her door for her. Immediately I locked the car, not like that would deter anyone much. I felt her cold little hand slide into mine and I gave it a quick squeeze as we made our way from the dimly lit garage to the even darker street. She huddled closer to me.

"Aww, you're so cold." I didn't mean for my voice to sound so sweet, I suppose, but it has been coming out more and more that way. I let go of her hand and put my arm around her. I smiled down at her and she finally smiled back at me. And with my arm around her, walking down the street, for the first time in what seems like forever I felt normal. The best part was how she leaned her head on my shoulder and put her arm around me. And I knew what they meant in that cliche about feeling like the luckiest guy in the world, or however it goes.

I lead her into the familiar run down building and led her up the falling in stairs to the top floor, where I unlocked the door to reveal a tiny apartment like room that was dusty but significantly cleaner than our previous establishment. The place was sparse, however, because it was the safehouse and someplace I didn't go to often.

"Oh Jack. This is honestly so much nicer than I expected!" I couldn't help but let out a howl of laughter at that one.

"Well, you didn't expect me to live in a pigsty, now did you?" She laughed too and I still didn't take my arm from around her as we walked to the sofa, both exhausted from the long drive and recent events. We both fell asleep in each others arms that night, tangled up on the sofa. Nothing had ever felt as amazing as having her cuddle into me and holding her close. It was even better than the feeling of flesh on my knife, and up until this point I had thought that was the epitome of all feelings.


End file.
